Protesters target Shedd Aquarium

Anthony SouffleTribune photographer

A group of protesters targeted the Shedd Aquarium today as part of a campaign in about a dozen countries to ask that whales and dolphins in captivity be released.

The "Empty the Tanks" campaign today targeted aquariums in at least 10 U.S. cities, including SeaWorld facilities in San Diego, San Antonio, and Orlando, and countries that included Argentina, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom and South Africa, according to the organizers' web page.

The protesters said they wanted to educate the public about what they say is the harm captivity does to both whales and dolphins, as well as their human trainers.

The protests came on the heels of the recently released documentary Blackfish which tells the story of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau and the wild-caught male killer whale, Tilikum, who took her life, as well as the lives of two others while in captivity.